The leader of the Nea Demokratia party, Antonis Samaras, refused Thursday to meet Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on the sidelines of the congress of the European People’s Party in Marseille, France, saying he was too busy. PM Gruevski reached out a hand in order to continue building trust and dialogue with the Greek political authorities and promote good neighborly relations and regional cooperation, the Macedonian delegation informed.

To those who participated in the 20th congress of the EPP, Samaras’ failure to find time to meet the Macedonian prime minister shows that Greece is firmly on its rigid positions concerning Macedonia’s name although its officials keep saying they are for a solution, as it was stressed in the letter from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by Stavros Dimas from Samaras’ party, Dnevnik reports.

The response from Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos to Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s letter immediately after his election is seen in the same light. In his response, accent was put on the positions for erga omens, which is seen as yet another evidence of Greece’s rigid stance regarding Macedonia’s name and a proof that Samaras and his wing in the Greek government are greatly credited for it.